Learning to Be Human

Learning to Be Human was a commissioned piece as part of an anti-bullying campaign for the North London Collegiate School Jeju in South Korea. The interactive piece is designed to discuss different aspects of bullying behaviors, and how to change them. By focusing on the android character as an outside observer, players are able to understand and help improve the lives and actions of bullies, victims, and even bystanders when they choose to spend their days with the different characters. It's satisfying to see their work have an impact, over time.

The game features and discusses different acts of bullying, engaging players in an interactive way to create better compassion and understanding. In this game, sometimes the "obviously right" (and, occasionally, the "obviously wrong") options are restricted, pushing players away from brash heroism and into a more realistic personal role, where bullying isn't really that easy to deal with. And when players do have a chance to help fix the bullying, there isn't always one single right answer, just like in real life. That's because in real life solutions aren't easy or obvious, but also there isn't only one way to fix things.

Because the game is set in a Korean international school, there are many aspects of the game that are specific to that cultural region, and to the specific difficulties with international students. Some of the problems and solutions, are written to specifically address those issues, or to address struggles within Korean culture in general, but many of the emotional difficulties around loneliness, exclusion, and wanting to belong are more universal desires.

This game also features a chapter code system. Whenever players complete a chapter, they are given a simple chapter code that saves their progress and their relevant decisions so that their progress can be continued later. This allows the game to be played over multiple sessions.